Spain's Foreign Minister Criticizes "Selfish" European Stances on Migrant Crisis

Spanish Foreign Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska has criticized the positions of some European countries regarding the migrant crisis in Ceuta as "selfish and irresponsible," amid calls for Spain's temporary exclusion from the Schengen area. During a Ceuta press conference, Grande-Marlaska stated that while "most EU countries stood by Spain," others "exploited this situation, adopting a purely selfish stance, lacking solidarity and responsibility." The minister underscored Spain's record of sharing migration burdens with other European nations during similar past influxes. These stances, he argued, "stem either from hypocrisy or ignorance, or a complete lack of awareness," clarifying that "Ceuta is not part of Schengen, and this fact has been exploited for purely political purposes." This follows earlier EU criticisms of Spain's migration policy. Last Friday, authorities from several EU member states, including Italy, Czech Republic, Finland, and Denmark, called for a temporary suspension of Spain's Schengen membership due to the significant migrant influx from Morocco into Ceuta. In related news, Ceuta mayor Juan Jesús Vivas announced last Friday that approximately 60,000 people entered the city from Morocco within 24 hours. Spanish media, citing Interior Ministry data, reported over 48,300 irregular migrants have already been returned to Morocco. This irregular migration crisis, which saw nearly 60,000 migrants cross the border illegally, has resulted in at least 67 deaths, according to "El Mundo." Earlier media reports, citing law enforcement sources in Ceuta, a Spanish city in North Africa, indicated that over 20,000 Moroccan migrants crossed the land border without significant resistance from Moroccan security forces. Ceuta saw a sharp increase last week in irregular migrants attempting to enter from Morocco, either by swimming or on foot. Thousands of Moroccan youths had gathered last Thursday at the Morocco-Ceuta border, prompting Spanish authorities to deploy additional police, civil guard, and military forces to the city.